


Pictures on the Ofrenda

by SteelPhoto



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Acceptance, Angst and Romance, Bittersweet, F/M, Found Family, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Oral Sex, Past Character Death, Porn with Feelings, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sex, Sick Character, Survivor Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 21:20:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28570662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SteelPhoto/pseuds/SteelPhoto
Summary: “‘M’not some fossil, River,” she panted, “can still manage to walk by myself.” It came out harsher than she meant, but her pride was hurt. She used to sprint across rooftops, chasing down some gonk who thought he could klep from the Mox and get away with it. Now she could barely stand.*****Summary:V is staying with the Ward family, but unspoken tension bubbles below the surface.Context:An alternate-ending romance epilogue with River and V.
Relationships: Female V/River Ward
Comments: 43
Kudos: 85





	1. Weakness

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly the game doesn't give an emotionally satisfying ending for River Ward if you romance him. So I've written one myself.

V’s awareness faded in slowly. She felt the headache throbbing at the corners of her mind first, then her limbs, leaden and sticking to the bed covers. Her back was sore.

How long had she been out this time? 

There was sunlight warming her skin. Best not to open her eyes just yet. She tried wiggling her fingers and toes first, testing their strength. They responded well enough still, no numbness or shaking.

Good. Maybe today’ll be a good day, then. 

With a few steadying breaths, she nudged herself onto one side, propping herself up on her elbow. Even in the blackness behind her eyelids, the room whirled, and she swallowed the urge to vomit. Swearing under her breath, she rubbed her temple, trying to force back the incessant pounding of her head, though it rarely worked. Nothing worked these days.

She cracked open a eye, just a little, testing her sight through her lashes. The light from the window was soft and weak, the gray mottled rays of dawn speckling the dusty floor of the trailer bedroom. The room was tidy, save a spare blanket and pillow roughly stuffed into a corner. River’s clothes were folded on his desk, his papers straightened. That was unlike him. Had he worked recently? The PI gigs had been going well. At least, they had before the last attack. 

She heard him humming softly in the kitchen, and the nutty smell of coffee reached her nose. It was far too early for anyone to be up. Even his sister Joss, who worked the early shift, would still be in bed at this time of day. He must not be sleeping again.

It was too much effort to lift her legs into pants, so she didn’t bother. The tank top would cover enough if anyone else woke. 

Testing her legs, she wobbled to the bedroom door. She had intended to stay quiet, but the room spun again as she opened it. She crashed into the doorframe, her body slumping against the jamb. 

“V!” Something clattered to the floor in the kitchen, and River appeared before her, steadying her by the shoulders with his hands. “You alright? Did you just wake now?” He glanced over her. “You’re sweating.”

Her head lolled against his chest as she tried to prop herself back up. Don't be weak so soon. Not in front of him.

“‘M’not some fossil, River,” she panted, “can still manage to - to walk by myself.” It came out harsher than she meant, but her pride was hurt. She used to sprint across rooftops, chasing down some gonk who thought he could klep from the Mox and get away with it. Now she could barely stand. She batted at his chest with her hands, but River was too solid to budge much even when she was healthy. Hard swallows punctuated the shuddering in her breath.

“Hey, hey, take it easy, alright?” He spoke in a low, hushed tone. “You’re always a little sick right after—”

“How long.” She cut him off with a wet cough, lifting her head to look at him. She was right, he was tired. “How long was I out this time? Don’t sugarcoat it.” She hated how her voice shook.

He took a breath and rubbed down her shoulders. “38 hours. Not as bad as last week, y’know.” 

Not much of an improvement, either. 

“‘Splains why I’m so hungry.” It was a lie, but it was better to change the subject. That made it the third time in a month that she had been knocked out for over a day. “Got anything? Somethin’... plain, maybe.” She lurched forward out of his arms, toward the kitchen. 

“Yeah, uh, I’ll think of something.” He spared her the indignity of bracing her while she shuffled down the hallway, but stayed close until she slid into the dining chair by the window. 

Seated, she felt a little stronger, the mug of coffee he passed her warming her hands. She watched him in silence, admiring the ease with which he coasted through the small kitchen. For such a large man, River was unusually graceful when he cooked. The pan on the stove bubbled and rattled, the steam rising from it pink in the dawn light, encircling his head.

“House finest, comin’ up.” He smirked, presenting a bowl of rice with an exaggerated flourish. 

She snorted. “Oh, spoilin’ me now, are ya?” Taking up a spoon, V scooped a test bite into her mouth and chewed slowly. No need to rush and have it come back up on the table. “So. How’s the PI biz going? You finally find that uptight asshole’s mistress?” 

He flicked on the light above the table and sat next to her, wiping the steam off his chrome eye. “Good, yeah. It’s good. Rather not go into detail so early, but... she was shacked up with his brother.”

“You’re shittin’ me!” Some rice fell out of her mouth when she laughed. “The fine one, with the gold chrome?” She took another bite and shrugged. “Not that I blame her.”

“Who else?” He grinned. He was always handsome when he smiled. “The look on pretty boy’s face! You’d a loved it, V.” He caught himself, and his smile faded. “I meant—”

“You’re right. I woulda.” She bumped him in the shoulder with her fist. “You started that last week, though. Anything else?”

“Yeah," he said. "Had a few calls. You know. Here and there.” 

She frowned, recalling the papers on the desk. “And you _took_ them, right?”

“Yeah, ‘course.” He folded his hands, one ganic, one steel, on the table in front of him. V touched his metal fingers, turning them over in her hand. The tech was old, worn, liable to stop working at any time. He really needed to upgrade it soon.

“Riv, you _need_ to keep workin’...” 

“I’ve been busy. Promise.” He shifted in his seat. “Listen, Vik called. Said he heard of an experimental group working with cyberpsychos to untangle neural webs. Claimed the research looks promising. It’s not exactly the same, but," his ganic eye flicked up to meet hers. "Thought maybe it could help. With you.” 

Sure, just like the last treatment, and the one before that. All of them a mere couple thousand eddies a piece. Paying for the privilege of being a lab rat had done nothing but empty her pockets. 

“I’m full," she said, her spoon clattering into the empty bowl. "Feel like shooting somethin’, wanna come?”

"Sure. Yeah." River sighed through his nose, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Right behind you.”


	2. Firing Range

The morning air outside was still cool. V trudged up the sandy hill behind the trailer park alone, the fresh air energizing her. After he had ensured she was strong enough to walk on her own, River had stayed behind to clear up, so she took her time, dragging a bag of old cans from the kitchen, pistol on her belt. 

She passed the rusted water tower looming over the compound, where River had kissed her for the first time. The memory of it made her bite her bottom lip. Her heart had pounded in anticipation when they climbed the tower together, looking out over the city lights. River had so obviously desired her, only a bakebrain would have missed his intentions. But his earnestness was charming, so simple and uncomplicated, unlike the rest of her fucked up life. It was intoxicating. 

The hope she had felt in that moment seemed so naive now. Almost painful. Everything was more complicated than ever. Back then, she had thought there would be a way to get this damned chip out of her head and move on with her life. But it was still there, slowly infecting her brain, robbing her of control over her body. 

It didn’t start out so bad. She’d just need to take a breath, lie down a while after playing with Joss’ kids. She’d netrun for River’s PI business, take breaks when she needed to. It felt more like a home than anything she’d had in a long time. 

But in recent weeks she was passing out for days, vomiting onto the carpets, shaking when she tried to eat, no matter how many treatments she took. She couldn’t even stay in her own apartment anymore.

Fucking fool. It was doubtful she could make the climb to the top of the tower now. She gritted her teeth and moved on. 

At the top of the hill, she could see the city skyline, though a sickly yellow smog obscured the tops of the ‘scrapers. She looked back over the trailer compound. Half the roofs were falling in, and the city hardly ever bothered to come pick up the trash way out here. They needed somewhere safer, away from the drugs that nearly cost Joss’ oldest son, Randy, his life, or the city’s gangs that might decide the park was their new territory any day. Small pops of gunfire echoed from somewhere beyond her vision, followed by the wails of sirens. She let out a sigh. Adding a few more wouldn't hurt. She was far enough away now that her makeshift shooting range would blend in with the background of the city's violence, and avoid waking the neighbors.

Setting the bag down, V extracted a few cans and placed them on a wide rock. She and Jackie used to pop emptied beer cans in the back alley of Mama Welle’s bar all the time, drunk on some shitty no-name vodka, talking smack about how they were going to change their fortunes forever. 

Mission fucking accomplished. Their big break had left her with a ticking time bomb in her head, Jackie dead, and Mama devastated. The image of Jackie’s body, bleeding out in the back of the cab, swam before her. V frowned, pulling the pistol from her belt, and kissed the barrel. She shot one round into the air for Jackie, then took aim at her little lineup, and fired. The bullets found their targets, so she allowed herself a satisfied smile. At least she could still do that, for now.

“Nice shootin’.” River was behind her, arms crossed, holding two beer bottles between his fingers. “Feeling better?”

“Rebound’s throwin’ me off more than usual today,” she smirked, “but I could still best you, I bet.” 

He chuckled. “No doubt about that.”

“Up for a bit of friendly competition, then, flatfoot?" River had long since chucked his badge, but she still loved to tease him about being an ex-cop. “I know you love it when I come out on top." 

He cocked his head, one side of his mouth lifted into a wry smile. “Hand it over, merc.”


	3. Heat on the Hill

“You’re a terrible fuckin’ shot, you know that?” V was laughing, sitting on the edge of the sun-baked rock. The beer River brought had started to warm, but she sipped it anyway, swishing the sour earthiness between her teeth. He sat next to her, one leg stretched out in front of him, the other crossed over his knee. “They even teach you how to shoot at pig academy?”

“Matter of fact, they did.” River snorted and took a swig off his bottle. “But badges get all kinda boosts on their ‘decks for that. Took it all back when I left. Haven’t practiced enough to make up for it.” 

“Gonna have to make you come here with me more often, then. PI job’s still dangerous, maybe even more than detective work was. Y’gotta look out for yourself.” She looked back over the compound at the trailer. “Joss, the kids. They need you.”

“We’ll be fine.” He leaned over and brushed away her hair, kissing her on the neck. “Still practice with you, though.”

A shiver spread from out from his lips over her skin and down her spine. For a moment she lost her train of thought, closing her eyes as he worked his way up past her jaw, her ear, her cheek, to her lips. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and ran it along the inside of his bottom lip. 

Damn him for being so distracting.

When she recalled herself, she palmed his cheek, searching his face. “I’m serious, Riv. Randy’s treatments at the center are expensive, and you’ve gotta get a bigger place. Out of the city, like we said. That’s major eddies, which means major jobs, not chasin’ down dolls some gonk has a hard dick for.” 

“We got it handled, V. Now’s just... not a good time.” 

Shit _._

“No fuckin’ such thing as a good time. This city sucks the life from you. All it does is make promises, then take, and take, until there’s nothing left.” She thought of Jackie again, blue-lipped and bloody in the cab. Mama, sunken-faced, kneeling by his ofrenda. “You know that.”

River’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond.

V sighed, squinting at the sky. It was already after noon, the sun had since long baked away the few drops of dew from the morning. She felt sweat beading down her back. 

“Where is Joss, anyway?” she said.

“Still at work. Dropped the kids off with Flora down the block.”

She looked at him sharply. “Work? She’s home in the afternoons.”

“Took a second job," he said, putting down his empty bottle in the dirt.

“She _what?_ ” 

“Like I said, V. Got it handled.”

“But why?” she said, the heat in her chest sharpening her words. Her fingers began to tingle. “Joss takes the morning shift, you take the night shift.” 

“Joss and I’ve been talkin’ it over." He sat up, leaning his elbows on his knees, his hands folded. "Agreed it was for the best right now if I was home more.” 

“So you _didn’t_ take those jobs," she hissed through her teeth. The headache was blooming again, its tendrils snaking over her scalp.

“Some I did. Just need to be selective right now. Make sure you’re okay first, then-”

No, no, no. This wasn't what they agreed. V bolted to her feet. 

“Fuck, River! Are you fuckin’ kidding me? This is about me? Your PI work, all these plans to get the kids out of this fucking hellhole. And now Joss! You’re fucking abandoning your family for - for _this_?” Furious, she gestured towards herself.

He straightened his back, frowning. “We’re not abandoning anything.” 

“Yes, you are! ” She was yelling, her voice rebounding across the hills. Visual distortions and static pulses were creeping into her periphery.

“V, stop. You could trigger an episode.” River caught her hand. “Please, let’s just talk this out at home.”

“No!” She yanked her arm away, jabbing her finger at his chest. “Not until you get it through your gonk brain that this is a stupid fucking idea! Look at me!" More static blurred her vision. “I’m dying! And who am I? Some fuckin’ merc who crashed into your lives, what, eight months ago? It’s bad enough I’m in your bed, comatose for days at a time, while you sleep on the floor!”

“V-” 

“Not even sleeping anyway, are you? You look as bad as when we met, eye’s so purple you might as well’ve been rocked in the head. Haven’t even replaced that fuckin’ ancient chrome in the other eye. You can’t do this to yourself! You can’t do this to your family!”

“V,” he said, “you are family. For Joss, Randy, the kids. Me. You said not to abandon our own. We’re not going to.”

“No! You can't change everything. Not for—“

She stepped back, her boot catching against the bottom of the rock shelf. It was hard to hear over the pounding of her heart in her ears, hard to breathe with her chest heaving for air. The distortion reached the middle of her vision, and she thought she could see Jackie’s pale face in it. There, the blood in his teeth. _I’m not getting better._ And there, his book on the ofrenda _. You’re gonna watch me die._ Mama Welles, crying behind the bar. _You can’t watch me die._ Electronic buzzing filled her ears. 

River’s voice broke through the static. “Listen to me! We love you.” One hand was on his chest, fingers steepled over his heart. “I love you. I’m not gonna leave you to die like you mean nothing!” 

Fuck, no.

The air went out of her lungs. He’d never said that before. She knew, of course, how could she not? But loving her would make it even worse for him. She knew what that was like, to watch someone you loved fade in front of your eyes. She had been selfish, she had wanted a moment of happiness, and now it was fucking up his life. 

“I need to go," she said, the words strangled by her constricted throat. Her eyes burned. She stumbled, turning back down the hill.

“Wait—”

“Don’t!” She didn’t look back, but he said no more.


	4. Cold Water

V burst into the empty trailer, her ears ringing and heart pounding. Bile seared her throat. 

Fuck, it was too late. She had stayed too long. Fuck! 

She was ruining their lives, all of them. She knew the Wards were true to their word, they would never abandon her. But River and Joss had already watched their parents die in front of them. Joss’ ex had disappeared into the sunset, and Randy had turned to drugs to cope with it.

What had she been thinking? 

She should have died at Arasaka. Or with Jackie. Fuck, anywhere but here. She was such a selfish fucking asshole.

Her body burned as she fumbled her way into the bathroom, half-blind. She smacked the shower knob, letting the cold water drench her clothes as she slid down to the floor. 

She lifted her face into the spray, closing her eyes, and thought of her twin families. Jackie laughing with Mama at the bar. River and Joss ribbing each other at dinner. The kids climbing into her lap, begging for a story from her life as a merc. Randy smiling again for the first time, at the hospital. River, standing in the sun, kissing her in bed, humming her to sleep, looking at the city lights.

“Fuck!” V slammed her fist into the tile, breaking the skin. Anywhere she went, whatever she did, she would bring pain to the people she cared about most. If she left, they would worry, not knowing if she was alive or dead. If she stayed, they would put their lives on hold, watching her waste away. Blood oozed from her knuckles, mixing with the water as it swirled down the drain.

She heaved, sucking at the air frantically, almost retching, until her gasps broke down into a hitching wail.

The frenzy of trying to solve her own problems since her botched mission with Jackie had kept her from weeping, even at his funeral, never mind stop and mourn her own fate. Now, shivering on the chill tile, it all poured out of her in great, wracking sobs. 

The door to the bathroom slid open. River stepped into the stall and sat down next to her, and she could not bring herself to resist the comfort of his presence. She laid her head onto his chest, still convulsing with the rush of her grief. He wrapped his arms around her, half-shielding the water raining down on them. Clutching at his shirt, she wept, until she was empty and still. 


	5. Reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning: explicit sex.

V broke the silence. 

“Riv. I’m sorry.” She spoke into his chest, rivulets of the shower’s cool water flowing down her face, and felt him shift to look down at her. “When Jackie died, it was the worst day of my life. He was my best friend, my brother. I loved him.” She took a deep breath. “He haunts me. Still see his gray face in the car. Hear him takin’ his last breath. I smell his blood. All the time. It never stops.” 

She stood up and turned off the stream, leaving her hand on the knob. “Joss, Randy, the kids, and you... You’ve had enough fucked up shit in your life. You don’t deserve more burdens like that, watchin’ me—" she swallowed the last word. "I’ve been careless. Should never have come here.”

“V.” The was a shuffling as River stood behind her. He placed his hands on her arms, turning her around to face him. He was soaked, still dripping from his earring and chin. The lines in his forehead were deeper than usual. “I need you to understand. You’re the reason any of us still have a family. Without you, Randy would be dead. Who knows what Joss would have done. Nothing I can do—nothing any of us can do—will ever repay that debt.” His voice softened. “You didn’t abandon Randy, and you didn’t even know him. Joss, the kids, they love you. Leaving you, it’s just not an option. 

“And... listen, on the hill." He brushed her wet hair away from her face with his hand, exhaling slowly. "I shouldn’t have said that. Wasn’t the right time. You don’t have to say anything, don’t even have to feel the same. Doesn’t matter, you’re still our family. Joss and I, we’re gonna take care of you, until you’re better. Or—” the muscles in his jaw contracted. “Whatever happens next.”

V tried to speak, but her voice seized in her throat. She reached for his face and brought his forehead to hers, caressing his cheek with her fingertips, as though it were for the first time. Or the last. The heat from his body radiated into her skin, bringing her to life in her core. His mouth hovered above hers, his breath slow and musky. She brushed her lips against his, touched their noses, kissed the corners of his mouth. He mirrored her, kissing her face, moving his hands down her neck to her back, awakening her desire. She pulled him closer, sliding her lips across his, their tongues rolling over each other.

“I wanted—” she whispered into his mouth, “I _want_ —”

The rest was lost in a choked sob. She heard River’s breath catch in his throat, and felt his hands clench around her back. His brow furrowed as he covered her lips with his again, more insistent this time.

She clutched the back of his neck, desperate for more, forcing his tongue deeper into her mouth, gasping for air. Her heart was in her ears, hot tears stung her cheeks. She didn’t bother trying to wipe them away—what was the point anymore?—but bit his bottom lip with her teeth. He replied with a moan, and it electrified her, tingling through her fingertips. She needed this, needed to feel alive in him again, like they were before. When there had been hope. A future.

She pulled him by his hips against her. “Please,” she begged. 

River broke from her mouth, pressing his forehead against hers, and lifted her from the ground. Her legs slipped around his waist, still slick with water, when he pressed her against the tile wall to bury his face in her neck. God, she had almost forgotten how strong he was. When was the last time he had held her like this? She tried not to recall, knowing it had been too long.

She lifted his face to hers with a knuckle. His eye was intense and dark, and it bored through her. She could see his pain laid bare, raw and stinging in the deepened creases of his mouth. River never was good at hiding how he felt. But he never flinched away from it either. Or from her.

Couldn’t she do the same?

“The bed,” she said. She wanted to lay his body down beneath her, strong and assured, not wet and pathetic in this tiny bathroom. He nodded and carried her down the hall, slamming the door behind them when they reached the bedroom. 

He lowered her onto the bed covers, then reached down to peel her wet clothes off, tossing them aside. The golden afternoon sunlight from the window illuminated him as he disrobed himself, wiping the beads of water from his skin. She propped herself up on one elbow to watch.

Fuck, he was beautiful.

She beckoned to him. The bed creaked as he climbed onto the old mattress, one knee between her legs. He reached forward to kiss her lips, her chin, her neck, her breasts, and she sighed and arched against him with every touch of his mouth. His hands slid over her legs, gently pushing her knees apart, and he lowered his face to her thighs, languidly dragging his lips across them. 

Electricity pulsed within her, spreading out over her body, an urgent need that flowed across her skin. She reached her hips towards him, grabbing the back of his head, pulling him down, and he smiled at her impatience. When he reached her apex, he covered her with his mouth and sucked. She groaned, her back arching at a shock of pleasure, and scratched at his scalp.

She wanted to hold this moment, tangled up and writhing, River between her legs. No pasts to haunt them, no futures that might never come. Just breath and heat, timeless sensation. But she wouldn’t last much longer if she let him continue. 

She reached down, touching his jaw. “Come here,” she whispered. "Please." 

He looked up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, and pulled himself above her. The feeling of his skin on hers set her on fire, like there would never be enough of him to touch with her hands, her legs, her stomach. There would never be enough closeness to satisfy her, though she tried, wrapping her legs around his hips to bring him to her. He rubbed against her sex, feeling her wetness without entering her.

“Fuck,” he murmured, shuddering.

Her hands wandered up and down his torso, slowing at the places he was most sensitive, where he would suck air through his teeth and his muscles would shiver. Outside the window, the holo-ads from the city glowed in the distance. She felt worlds away from the harsh neon lights of downtown, from her old, empty life. She had wanted to be such a fucking big shot, once, and here she was in a small trailer, broken and unknown.

Except to River. Wasn’t that enough? 

She reached up, palming his cheek, and he turned into it with a long sigh, kissing her hand and closing his eye.

“Riv.” Gently, she turned his head back toward her and pulled him down to kiss her, their foreheads pressed together. His eyelashes tickled her cheeks, but his body stiffened; he was waiting for her to go on. She closed her eyes and resolved herself not to shrink away. He deserved that much.

“I fucking love you," she said, barely breathing the words, hardly a whisper. She opened her eyes, moving her hips against him. “I love you,” she tried again, her chest tight. 

He let out a short breath; it was almost a laugh. “I know, V.” He was smiling, but his voice broke. She knew what it meant to him to hear her say it. 

V slipped her hands behind his hips, urging him forward. She shifted under him as he moved closer, kissing her with growing urgency. As he entered her, he groaned her name into her mouth. Fuck, she loved the way he did that. 

She wanted to pleasure him, to show him how much he meant to her, to be the powerful woman he loved while she still could, however long that would be. Pressing her hands against his chest, she forced him over onto his back, and lowered herself onto him slowly, enjoying his long gasps, watching his hands that twisted the blankets. Pinning him to the bed, she rocked her hips, slowly at first.

He reached up to massage her; her breath hitched as she trembled under his touch. No, it felt too good, she would be undone too soon. She ripped his hand away, holding his arm down above his head, and leaned over, panting into his ear, her curtain of hair falling around them. He quickened in response, pressing up into her, and called out to her again. He was close.

She straightened up, tossing her hair as she freed his arm. The pressure was building inside her, her release, even without hands on her. She loved watching him. The way his breath became deeper and longer, the way he bit his lip with his teeth and wet them with his tongue, the way his brows knit together and his eye squeezed shut, the way he pressed a hand against his forehead, his mouth parted, like the sensation of her was too much to bear. She loved it all.

His head rolled to the side. Reaching down, she grasped his jaw firmly and snapped his face to look at her, making him watch as she touched herself with her other hand. 

“ _Yes_ ,” River drew out the word in a hiss, gripping her hips, his muscles taut and shaking under her. He groaned, hoarse and low and stuttering, and she felt the slickness from him as he released in her. The sound of his pleasure intoxicated her, vibrated through to her fingertips, and V tossed her head back, letting out a long, guttural moan. Her climax was sharp and pulsing, and she felt herself squeezing him as the orgasm throbbed through her body.

V collapsed onto his chest, sweating, and they lay panting on the bed for a long while, River trailing his hand over her back. 

* * *

When he had caught his breath, River broke their reverie.

“You okay? Any distortions?”

"Fine. Great, actually." She smiled with a huff, her fingers playing in circles across his chest. “Better than I’ve been for a while. You?”

He put one arm behind his head. “Greatest shot I ever knew said she loved me. Never better.” 

“Mmh. She sounds interesting.” 

“You’ve no idea.”

She laughed, then let out a long sigh. “Riv, I’m still worried about you. About them.”

“V-”

She cut him off. “No, listen. I love you all. Can’t stand the thought of bringin' you more pain, becoming a burden. Maybe it'd have been better for you if I left earlier, or never came at all. Probably. But," she kissed his shoulder, "too late for that now. There's no going back. For you - or me.” 

“I don’t have much left." She sat up, hugging her knees to face him. "But I still got my old apartment. It’s yours. Sell it. Never going back there, obviously, even if I do make it. Use it to put somethin’ away. Get out of here, when the time comes.” 

River furrowed his brow and frowned. “I don’t know, V.”

“You have to. Body’s failin', Riv. Today’s alright, but what about tomorrow?” Her voice was firm, confident, like her old self. “Not gonna leave you with nothin’ but my stupid picture on an ofrenda, and you making all the sacrifices. I can still help my family. Our family. Whatever I have, it’s yours.” 

He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head against hers, and let out a long breath.

“Alright.” 

She returned his embrace. “Good.”


	6. Sunset

Joss and the kids returned home some time later. V was seated at the table, chopping vegetables for dinner, laughing as she exchanged sarcastic barbs with River. Joss glanced between the two of them, perhaps noticing the change in the atmosphere, and smiled. 

After the kids were finally wrestled into bed for the night, V sat on the porch steps, an old woven blanket tossed over her shoulders to ward off the chill air. The sky turned auburn as the sun touched the top of the desert ridge. 

River stepped out from the trailer, closing the door behind him.

“Sorry. Gotta call ‘bout a gig. Some corpo needin’ a consult, needs to find missing data after his Sec bolted.”

“Sounds promising." V lifted one arm to open the blanket. “Join me?”

He stooped to sit next to her, tossing the blanket over his back. She leaned against him, letting her head fall to his shoulder. He was warm. Comfortable.

“You don’t have to, y’know.” His arm slipped around her back and came to rest on her hip. He turned his head toward her. “Vik, I mean. The treatments. You can stop. Just gotta tell me what you want, okay? We - I’ll be there, whatever you choose.”

“Already called. Start next week.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Alright. Lemme know if you change your mind.”

“Mmh.” V took his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. Settling back onto his arm, she returned her gaze to the horizon.

They sat there together, watching the sun dip below the blackening hills in the distance, until it was gone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for joining me. The ending is purposefully left up to your interpretation.


End file.
